How to Make the Perfect Soft Boiled Egg

Soft boiled eggs are the simplest thing in the world to cook—unless you get easily distracted (like me), then they may prove to be rather illusive.

There are four simple rules:

Papaya Smoothie

Papayas aren't the normal pantry fare, but in the summer months you'll often find them on sale at the grocery store. Other than slicing them up and eating them, what else can you do with Papayas? Well, you can make smoothies, of course.

Ingredients:

(Recipe from Martha Stewart)

2 1/2 cups papaya

1 cup ice cubes

2/3 cup yogurt

1 Tbs finely chopped fresh ginger (optional)

1 Tbs honey

1/2 cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

Preparation:

Peel papaya, cut, and remove seeds. Save seeds and set aside.

Place ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Either serve cold, or store in the freezer for later.

Papaya seeds are edible and taste like something between a caper berry and a peppercorn. You can dry them and use them in place of either ingredient. (or, if you live in a tropical area, you can plant the seeds and grow your own papaya plants).

Plain Scones

2 cups flour
1 TBS butter
1 cup milk
1 TBS sugar
1/3 tsp salt
1/4 cup milk (to brush on the tops of the scones)

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 425ºF. Grease a cookie sheet and set aside.

If you have a sifter or a fine mesh sieve, sift dry ingredients into a bowl.  Add butter, and with fingers, crumble and mix into dry ingredients. Make a little well in the flour mixture and pour in the milk.

With a fork, stir the flour mixture and milk together until dough forms.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Press the dough into a round or square shape with your fingers, flattening it until it is 1 to 2 inches thick.

Cut the dough into round, square, or triangular shapes. If there's leftover dough, fold it over on itself and press it with your fingers again, flattening to no less than 1 inch thick. Cut the dough into desired shape.

Place on a grease baking sheet. Brush the tops of the scones with a little extra milk. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 425ºF.

Serve warm with butter or jam.  If there are leftovers, store in the freezer - they should stay good for up to two months.

Popovers

4 eggs (room temperature)
2 cups milk (room temperature)
2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 450ºF.

Grease popover or muffin pan.

Break eggs into a bowl. Beat well. Add flour, milk, and salt. Mix until blended.

Fill muffin cups 3/4 full with batter.

Bake 30 minutes without opening the oven door.

Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before removing from the pan.

Serve warm with butter. Good with soups or stews or served with marmalade or jam for breakfast.

Lemon Ginger Scones

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces

1/2 cup crystallized ginger, chopped into small pieces

Zest of 1 large lemon

2/3 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and place rack in middle of oven. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs.  Stir in the chopped crystallized ginger and lemon zest. Add the buttermilk to the flour mixture and stir just until the dough comes together. If you don't have buttermilk, use 2/3 cup milk with a Tablespoon vinegar. Do not over mix the dough.

Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead dough gently four or five times and then pat the dough into a circle that is about 7 inches round and about 11/2 inches thick. Cut this circle in half, then cut each half into 4 pie-shaped wedges (triangles). Place the scones on the baking sheet. Brush the tops of the scones with a little cream. 

Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Makes 8 scones.